


Heat-Haze Day

by Liyada



Category: Champions (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 04:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19822366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liyada/pseuds/Liyada
Summary: It was a normal summer day, everything was fine... But the heat of haze had decided otherwise, and it was up to Miles to try to find a way out.One-shot based on the song "Kagerou Day" (or Heat-Haze Day in the English translation) from Jin.





	Heat-Haze Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> This is my first one-shot based on a comic. And also the first work I ever post on this site. 
> 
> I had to admit I get in comics really recently, like two months ago, and I somehow fell in love with the Champions and all their members. And a few weeks ago, I was listening to "Kagerou Day" (or "Heat-Haze Day" in the English translation) from the Kagerou project and I remembered the issue two of Champions 2019 and I was like "Hey but using this song to do a one-shot can be pretty cool actually". So I did this.
> 
> Also, I am sorry for the possible mistakes, English is not my first language and I did not have a beta-reader on this text. If you notice anything that bother you, do not hesitate to comment so I can correct it.
> 
> Warning, this is an angst one-shot with the presence of death, so do not read if you don't want to see them dying.
> 
> If you want to enjoy more of the song, here the link to a playlist I made with different versions of the song: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYZy1mPF7PT4uNoXZhV29vVqnGBJA8XTp
> 
> Hope you will enjoy it!

Miles difficultly stopped himself to remove his mask. Even if his costume was thought to perfectly fit his powers and hide his identity, it was not thought to be wear in summer, when the atmosphere became stifling and everything you touched sticky. Under the tissue, he completely wiped out. The drop of sweat infiltrates everywhere between his suit and his skin, even in his own eyes. It was the 14th of August, sometimes past 3 PM, and the weather was incredibly nice. Actually, it was even too nice, as the dazzling sun reminded him of.

He could feel only by staying under this cruel and abnormal warm sun that global warming was not a joke, even if some people said otherwise. Everywhere he looked at, the air waved because if the temperature gradient, and the road looked wet, even if it was enough hot to literally bake an egg on it. The weather in Brooklyn was already hot, but California was way worst.

He looked back at his current work. He was here because of this heatwave. A few days ago, an important wood fire started. It as now shut down, but it had the time to damage a town. At this moment, the Champions decided to come in order to help to rebuild. Right now, he was, along with Ms. Marvel and Nova, at the warehouse of a construction company, looking for all the equipment they needed. And while he was waiting outside, standing next to a truck, his two friends were negotiating with the company.

Speaking of them, they came out of the office, chatting with each other. In the arms of Ms. Marvel, a black cat purred while she was petting their soft fur. Miles asked:

"So, how did it go?"

"Pretty well" smiled Sam. "We could have everything we needed for a really low price."

"But the others contacted us" added Ms. Marvel. "It is too hot today, and there is a risk the fire restart. In the case of, the authorities asked everybody to evacuate."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Spider-man.

"Nothing" sighed the young girl. "Unfortunately, our powers are not really efficient against a fire. Viv said that we should just leave for today, in order to rest and to have enough energy for the reconstruction tomorrow."

"I see... And what about this little guy?" said the boy from Brooklyn.

"He entered in the office, probably looking for some coolness" laughed the heroin. She rose her head, looking at the sky while saying. "You know what? I kind of hate summer."

"Why?" asked, a bit mockingly, the human rocket. "I swear, you city people are way too frail to heat."

"It's not because of that, even if the last summers only proved about how global warming was something serious. It is just that, of course, we do not have school, but everything just seems to... Ah, wait!"

The black cat jumped from the Pakistani girl and ran away. She pursued the animal, following him toward the yard of the company, the portal, the sidewalk... Miles' Spider-sense suddenly activated, warning him about something, a threat, but he could not see what was the danger. A cold shiver went across his spine. As Ms. Marvel was walking past the crosswalk, the traffic light changed from a gently green to a glared red.

Miles breath stopped when a truck came out from nowhere.

The scream of the Champion's leader was shot by the truck which struck her.

Her usual scent was now mixed with a sickening acid and metallic flavor.

Everywhere he watched he saw red. Red on the crosswalk, red on the sidewalk, red on Nova, red on him, red on the truck... Red on Ms. Marvel. Her clothes, her skin, her hair... Everything was just covered by red.

No no no... It could not be real! Ms. Marvel was a super-heroine, she could not die this way!

He heard Nova screaming. He heard an other scream. It took him a few seconds to realize he was the other one screaming. He also heard someone laughing.

He rose his head, looking for the one who dared to laugh while his friend was just laying in a pool of sticky and red liquid. In the sidewalk past the road, it seemed that the haze of heat showed an odd reflection of him, a red, mask-less and sickening version of him, who was laughing and glaring at him. The other him said, in a mocking and obnoxious way:

" _Don't you see it? It is all real!_ "

It was a normal summer day. It was a normal mission for the Champions. But now it was over. Everything was over. Ms. Marvel had just died in front of him, and he could not save her.

The last thing he remembered before the world became dark was hearing the sound of a cricket.

oOo

Miles heard the sound of a ticking clock, and he suddenly woke up in his room, in his family apartment, in Brooklyn. He gasped. He remembered Ms. Marvel dying in front of him, the blood, the screams, the haze of heat who was laughing at him, and the sound of the cricket, which still resonated in his ears. He gasped. What happened next? What time was it right now? He looked at the clock. The little and the tall hands were both on the number twelve. According to the light which came from his window, it probably meant that it was noon. But it did not help him to calm down. How many time did happen since the accident? How did he come back to his room? He grabbed his phone, with the hope to get some answers to his questions. He saw a notification from the Champion group chat, and checked it.

He stopped to breath when he saw that it was coming from Ms.Marvel.

It was a simple message, the kind of ones she usually sends, asking the group to meet at the Champions Mobile Bunker in order to go to California for the reconstruction mission. There was no mention of her death, or even of an accident. It was like nothing had happened. He scrutinizes his phone again.

His heart stopped when he saw the date. It was the 14th of August, sometimes past 12 in the morning. He pinched his nose bridge. Was all of this a terribly realistic nightmare?

The sound of the cricket and of the laughing version of him still resonated in his ears.

And then he realized. If it was only a dream, and that it was already the 14th of August, past 12...

It meant that he was late and that he had to hurry to arrive on time at the Bunker! He quickly pushed his suit on, and without even taking breakfast, he left his room, the memory of what he believed to be a nightmare still replaying in his head.

The rest of the day exactly happened like in his dream. They went to the destroyed town, to see that there was not enough material, Ms.Marvel, Nova and he went on the next town to get everything they needed... While the day passed, he could only remember the accident, and a cold and obnoxious shiver gave him goosebumps. But his Spider-sense was not developed enough to allow him to see the future, wasn't it?

His two friends eventually came back from the building company office, saying that they did well with the negotiation, but that the risk of a new fire obligated them to leave for today. He could not stop himself but saying:

"But you know, it's a little strange... Yesterday, in a dream, I saw us in the exact same yard."

"What are you speaking about?" asked mockingly Nova. "Now you can see the future?"

"Did your Spider-sense improved?" asked Ms. Marvel, with a passionate glint in her eyes, and still petting a black cat in her arms. "Are you like Scarlet-Spider?"

"What are you speaking about?" laughed uncomfortably Miles.

Suddenly, the cat escaped from his friend arms. But before she could follow him, the super-hero from Brooklyn grabbed her wrist, and said, with shifty eyes:

"Why don't we go home now?"

"It may be a good idea" added Sam. "I am use of this kind of weather, but I am not sure about you two."

"If you say so... Let's come back to the Bunker!" smiled the young girl.

The trio left the yard of the company, chatting together about their last missions, Ms.Marvel looking around for the cat, Nova flying above them, and Spider-man still thinking about his nightmare, and how everything was exactly the same. If he had not grabbed her wrist, would have she been struck by the truck? Was it really his Spider-sense which alerted him of this event while he was sleeping? Was it why it was so realistic?

His thoughts were interrupted by his Spider-sense, warning him for danger. He turned his head, looking at Ms. Marvel. Was it that again? Would a truck suddenly arrive and struck her again? He grabbed her wrist again, pushing her behind him. Around them, the passersby turned their head up to the sky and opened their mouths. In the corner of his eyes, he saw the silhouette of the Human Rocket flying.

Suddenly, an iron pole fell from the sky and pierced Nova's, Sam's frail body, splitting him in two.

Others pipes continued to fail, settled in the ground, the body of his friend was now like a piece of meat in some skewers.

The red stained everything around him. The poles, the ground, their suit, the stain of the Arizonan boy...

Miles ran toward him, his hand raised, trying to reach him. But the macabre pipes blocked him.

Around him, the passersby cried, looking of the boy who was now impaled, his scrawny body looking more like a marionette of a horror movie than the hero he was. The wind was taking all the cries away.

Spider-man felt a wave of despair descended upon him. He saved Ms.marvel only to see his other friend died? What was the meaning behind it? Why was he powerless? The tears blurred his eyes, finding no way to escape between his skin and his mask. He cried:

"Sam! No!"

Once again, he heard someone laughing. He turned his head. Once again, in the haze of heat, a boy who looked to much like him was laughing, a degusting laugh. The shimmering reflection pushed him away, his hand strangely cold, as cold than the too many corpses he touched in his all super-hero career. He saw the other him smirking, and he swore he never saw that much cruelty in someone eyes before.

" _Bet you wish you were asleep, but this is all the real thing!_ "

"You... You're lying..."

Miles slipped on the liquid on the ground, and fall on the ground. Everything started to become dark around him. Before he fell unconscious once again, he glanced at Nova's profile.

Before he closed his eyes for his last journey, was the Human Rocket smiling?

oOo

Miles woke up once again in his room, at the sound of the ticking clock. He did not lose time before grabbing his phone, looking for the date. He was back to the 14th of August, sometimes past 12 in the morning. The notification from the group chat was still here, warning for a messaged of their leader. Once again, nobody did mention an accident or death. The boy eventually understood.

It was not a dream. It was not his Spider-sense. It was nothing of that.

He was stuck in a temporal loop, repeating the same day over and over again, looking at his friends dying in front of him.

This realization did not bring him despair, but made him smile. As long that he was in this loop, he had a chance to save Ms.Marvel and Nova, to prevent their death. No matter what, no matter the cost, he would leave the loop only if the two of them were safe.

But for that, he had to hurry.

Once again, he put his suit on. Once again, he left his family's apartment without even grabbing a breakfast. Once again, he went to California with his teammates. But when they arrived at the destroyed city, before Amadeus suggested to go to the neighbor city to get the equipment, he said:

"What if we check the forest and the city first? If we want to rebuild the city, we should first make sure that there is not anymore risk of fire."

The rest of the team agreed, but he could see the surprise in their eyes. Usually, he was not the one to notice something like that. The looks of Ms. Marvel and Nova were especially intent. He ignored it. No matter if they found his behavior weird, he had to save and take them out of the loop. Twice, they went into the city, only to find death. He hoped it would be different in the forest. It had already been destroyed by the fire, what worse could happen now?

He eventually ended up looking around the trees with the Inhuman and the Human Rocket. Everything was deadly calm. The birds and the forest animals flew during the fire, or died trying. The once-flourishing branches were now nude, projecting scrawny and gloomy shadows. The soil was drier than a desert. If it was a normal day, he would have found it dangerous and scary, but he knew there were more dangers which could end to the death of his friends in the city that in this burned forest. 

Above the dead trees, he suddenly saw a burned mining tower. He was not the only one to notice it, as he heard Nova said:

"Hey! What is that?"

And before either Miles or Ms.Marvel could answer, he flew to the intriguing building. The two left heroes looked at each other. The young girl said:

"He is such an impulsive kid sometimes... We should also check on this."

Her tone was either annoying, affectionate, and unusually worried. Spider-man could not help but share her worry. They were still in the time loop. If they split, it may increase the risk for the death or one of them. He started to run toward the direction Nova's took, along with his New Jerseyan friend, silently cursing at the burned trees which were too breakable to support his weight, stopping him from using his web shooters. 

He nearly stumbled when his Spider-sense warned him of danger, again. It could not be possible! He went here to avoid the danger of the city, he was not going to loose one of his friends again! From behind a line of dead trees, a carbonized wire fence suddenly appeared. A large panel covered the entry, and even if it became black because of the ashes, he could still clearly read the red words "Danger! Mercury mine. Toxic area. Do not approach.". He remembered what he learned about mercury in class and books, and he panicked. It was a silver d-block element, sometimes called quicksilver, the only metallic element that was liquid at standard conditions of temperature and pressure, and, the most important and the reason why he felt the panic filling him, an extremely toxic element, able to cause a quick death if it was not manipulated in the right conditions. And he doubted that with the fire, it was nothing but the best condition to manipulate it. He took a big breath, and entered in the mine, looking for Sam.

He tried to breathe as less than possible. The possibility of the presence of mercury vapor was too important to his taste. He suddenly heard a laugh who darkly started to be familiar, too familiar for him. He turned his head and looked at the heat of haze, and to this face so similar to his who were mocking at him, pointing something behind him:

" _You did not realize yet? It is already too late!_ "

Mile looked behind him and saw a laying black form who was painfully groaning on the ground. His heart stopped. 

In front of his, lying in a red vomit, Nova was taking his last breaths, a victim of mercury poisoning. 

He could not look away from the body. But he could hear, far away, the cry of Ms.Marvel. He could hear, not that far away, the laugh of the heat of haze, telling him " _It is all real!_ ". He could hear, getting out of his own mouth, his jerky disgusting breath. He took his hand to his mouth, a useless reflex, in a fail attempt to stop the acid liquid to came out.

And then, everything blacked out again.

oOo

Miles woke up once again in his bed, out of breath. Once again, he let one of his friend dying in front of him. They just continue dying, again, again and over again, and he continued to be powerless, again, again and over again, and the day continued to replay, again, again and over again. It had to stop, this macabre loop had to end! He tried to clear his thoughts, but it was useless. He could only listen to the little panicked voice in his head, which yelled at him to flee.

His hands were shaking when he got dressed in his black suit. He could not keep his cool, not today. He was too agitated for that. The different deaths of his friends kept replaying in his head. They did not even die in their heroes duty against a random villain, but from too normal and cruel accidents. And every time, he saw it too late, he was too slow, he did not reach them in time, and could only look the life leaving their body while the heat of haze mocked him. But he did not want to give up. He could not give up. Before he left the apartment, he counted the number of days he had spend in the loop so far. It was a macabre count, but it strangely helped him to calm down a bit. It had been the 30th time he woke at the 14th of August, sometimes past 12 of the morning. One month. One month of death. One month of failures. 

He swang between the buildings of Brooklyn, going to the Bunker as far than he could. Every day, he took the exact same path and every time, he felt it was slower and slower than the same path of the day before. He was surprised when he looked once at his phone and realized that he had arrived a few minutes before then he usually did. He never felt so many differences before between how his personal clock and the rational, scientifical one. 

He eventually arrived at the Bunker. He saw the smiling faces Ms.Marvel and Nova. And he broke. He could not take it anymore. He felt the panic rising inside him. He could not think rationally anymore. Before he even realized what he was doing, he had grabbed their wrists and ran away with them, ignoring their protests. He eventually reached the Brooklyn Bridge. On the pedestrian passageway, the tourists were taking pictures of the city and East River. He entered on it, jostled the passersby, his friends still protesting behind him. He did not care. He just wanted to leave for a safe place.

Suddenly, he heard the too familiar laugh of the heat of the haze. His reflection stood against a metallic gate and said to Miles with his usual smirking and obnoxious smile:

" _What do you think you are doing? It is useless._ "

He felt Ms.Marvel wrist going out of his hand, and Sam's scream resonated on the bridge. He turned back. 

One of the gates had broke, and the Champions' leader was falling, toward the East River. 

He felt like the time had once again become slower. The precious seconds became hours.

Nova left the bridge and flew, trying to get the young girl. Spider-Man made an attempt to catch her with his web-shooters. But they were both too slow, too late.

She arrived headlong on the desk of a touristic boat. While her head was broken into too many pieces, the red splashed on the white floor, imitating in real life some modern art painting.

The cries rose from both the boat and the bridge. Sam yelled to, a painful and despairing scream. But Miles stayed silent. He could not speak, or move, or cry. He could just watch at the scene, like a puppet without a puppeteer. He failed once again. She died, once again.

While the world became dark around him, he heard the usual " _It is all real!_ " from this disgusting reflexion.

He could not help but wonder why she did not use her powers to go back to the bridge and if this glint in her eyes was only due to the surprise or to something else.

oOo

Mile was back at the yard where everything began. Where Ms.Marvel was struck by a truck while she was following a cat. Where he heard the laugh of the heat of the haze for the first time. Where this cycle of death started.

He felt empty, resigned and, worst at all, totally hopeless. He remembered that once, he said he would never give up, that they will leave this time loop altogether. He hardly restrained a cynical laugh. A lot of 14th August had happened since then. A long time ago, he realized he had repeated this day for more than ten years. Condemned to never grow up, to eternally live in this sickening summer day, to see his friends dying and dying again.

If he had heard this story before everything happened, he would have said that it was a terrible clichéd story. When it started, he forgot that, but with the days which passed and passed, he remembered it. And realized that in this kind of clichéd story, there must only be one ending.

It was time now. It was exactly the same than in his first day in his loop. Ms.Marvel and Nova went out of the office of the company, the young girl petting a black cat. They had the exact same conversation than they did this day, but he did not even care about what had been saying, and answered with sentences he knew now by heart. At the exact moment the Champions' leader said that she did not like the summertime, the cat ran away from her arms. Like she did before, she followed him.

He looked at the scene. He had seen it so many times now, he could now saw it in a detached way. He knew exactly what will happen after. And he was resolute. There must be something, a future beyond this repeating summer day. It had to exist.

But he knew now that this future would be without him.

Suddenly, he ran and pushed Ms.Marvel aside. Just in time to get struck by the truck instead of her.

Their wide-open eyes and their glowing costume reflected his twisted body and the red liquid which splashed everywhere.

He could see the horror in their faces. He did not even felt sorry for that. They may feel guilty for what happened to him. They may not take it.

But at least, they were safe.

On the other side of the street, he glanced at the heat of haze. For once, the sickening reflection did not mock or laugh at him. In fact, he looked as shocked Miles was the first times he saw his friends dying. 

And for once, he was to him to laugh.

"It's the game you had made, it only serves you right!"

But he did not want his last view to be this other him, and turned back to see for the last time the faces of his friends. They were crying, but it was what he saw that definitely frightened him.

Near to them, two heat of hazes, a pink Ms.Marvel and a sky blue Nova were looking at him, clenching their fists.

It was what they could have called a normal summer day, but all of that had to end now.

He took his last breath, and eventually passed away, realizing the truth behind this painful cycle.

oOo

On August 14th, in a house on Grove Street, in Jersey City, Kamala woke on her bed.

On August 14th, in an apartment in Carefree, in Arizona, Sam opened his eyes.

The Pakistani girl ran out of her home. To her mother who asked her what she was doing, she only said "Extracurricular stuff Ammi!", the password sentence for super-heroic duties.

The Human Rocket flew as fast than he could to New York, without even really taking the time to say goodbye to his mom and his little sister.

And while they headed toward the Champions Bunker, they repeated the same, muttered once again:

"Guess I failed again..."

And once again, under a too nice sky, a too warm sun, the heats of haze laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> To everyone who took the time to read it, thank you very much!
> 
> If you want to have a little bit more of this, you go on the link below and find a fanart I made for this One-shot.  
> https://www.deviantart.com/liya4kar/art/Champions-X-Kagerou-Day-Fanfic-Cover-805798577


End file.
